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I remain the governorship candidate of Accord Party –Ojo

December 23, 2012 : Sunday Aborisade

Mr. Wale Ojo

A chieftain of the Accord Party in Ondo State, Mr. Wale Ojo, in this interview with SUNDAY ABORISADE, insists that he was the governorship candidate of the party in the October 20 poll

The national leadership of your party said your party did not participate in the Ondo governorship poll, but you insist that you were the candidate, could you clarify your position?

Apart from the nomination by the party in June 2012, the party held our primary poll at the Green Park Hotel Akure on August 3, 2012 where I was validly nominated. The primary was witnessed by three officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and covered by some media houses.

Is it true that you were not cleared by the INEC because you could not pay N1.25m required by your party to pick the governorship candidate form?

When you want to discredit a person, you can tell all sorts of lies. I refused to bow to pressure of deceiving our followers and collecting money from the ruling party in the state. The allegation is false.

Your party also declared support for the candidate of the Labour Party, were you not part of the agreement?

The party did not at any time declare support for Labour party but I learnt that some people collected money from LP and they defected. Few days later, I read of their anti-party activities in the newspapers.

Is it true that an opposition is sponsoring you to take LP to court?

I was in court before the election. So, I don’t know why any opposition party would support me. I have heard so many versions of this rumour; the truth is that our democracy is enveloped by lies and blindfolded with money instead of principle. If I refused to yield to their suggestions, does it mean someone is collaborating with me?

Do you think your case in court can stand without the necessary support of your party leadership?

There is one thing I want people to know, I went to court before the election because I wanted to contest and I still stand by that. I am not against Labour Party or the governor because I don’t have any problem with them. As a Nigerian, can’t I ask for my right without sentiments? Must we all be compromised to the extent that we won’t ask questions? Must everything be done as we used to do it even if it was wrong?

Spokesperson for the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabir Marafa, saying his colleagues passed a vote of confidence in Dr. Bukola Saraki’s senate leadership in order to spite President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress leadership.